Thursday, September 24, 2020
Yeshivas are asking teachers not to test for COVID-19, even as cases rise
Some Haredi yeshiva day schools in Brooklyn are asking teachers not to get tested for COVID-19, and also not sharing information about students who test positive, to try to avoid school closures, said three sources with direct knowledge of specific schools said in interviews.
The news comes amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases in six Queens and Brooklyn neighborhoods which include the “Ocean Parkway Cluster” of Borough Park, Midwood and Bensonhurst — named after the avenue that links them, according to a Department of Health statement issued Tuesday.
Did Trump Say Protesters Threw Cans of Soup at Police?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-protesters-cans-of-soup/
Given that Trump did make the statements about protesters using cans of soup as weapons against law enforcement and there is footage confirming he made the statement, we rate this claim as a “Correct Attribution.”
Yom Kippur synagogue closure will be ineffective among haredim - Analysis
Moshe Weisberg, editor of the B’hadrei Haredim ultra-Orthodox news website, says likewise that a closure order of synagogues on Yom Kippur will be widely violated.
In B’hadrei Haredim’s editorial on Wednesday, the site described a closure of synagogues on Yom Kippur as “a declaration of war on God and his Torah,” and that “thousands of worshipers and synagogue administrators will not comply with such a decision.”
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Israel is winning on the world stage, but losing the plot at home
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/23/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-world-stage-at-home-intl/index.html
The Pentagon Reportedly Blew Its $1 Billion Coronavirus Budget on Body Armor and Planes
Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars Congress intended for pandemic relief were instead diverted for military spending, with bailout cash used to produce products like jet engine parts, body armor, and dress uniforms. For a period of time, the Washington Post reported, the $1 billion fund that Congress gave the Pentagon via the Cares Act to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus” was on track to be used for its original purpose, with $750 million for medical resources and $250 million for defense contractors. That was what Ellen Lord, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, told reporters in April. But at a congressional hearing two months later, she backtracked, telling lawmakers that defense contractors had “critical needs as well.” The ultimate spending plan that the Pentagon put forth to Congress in June, the Post notes, prioritized $688 million for the defense industry.
COVID-19 Has Killed Nearly 200,000 Americans. How Many More Lives Will Be Lost Before the U.S. Gets It Right?
https://time.com/5887432/coronavirus-united-states-failure/
If, early in the spring, the U.S. had mobilized its ample resources
and expertise in a coherent national effort to prepare for the virus,
things might have turned out differently. If, in midsummer, the country
had doubled down on the measures (masks, social-distancing rules,
restricted indoor activities and public gatherings) that seemed to be
working, instead of prematurely declaring victory, things might have
turned out differently. The tragedy is that if science and common sense
solutions were united in a national, coordinated response, the U.S.
could have avoided many thousands of more deaths this summer.
Trump views 200,000 Covid-19 deaths as a PR problem. We should view them as someone's loved one
On Monday, with the US on the verge of reaching the solemn number of 200,000 dead from Covid-19, Donald Trump appeared on Fox News where the topic of the virus was raised. Did Trump express sympathy for the heartbreaking losses caused to families across the nation from this deadly pandemic? Nope, instead he patted himself on the back for doing what he called "a phenomenal job" in handling Covid-19, giving himself an "A+." The only criticism Trump would offer was regarding the public relations for the virus, saying in that area, "I give myself a D." He blamed the low grade on "fake news."
A bubble of self-delusion in Washington
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/22/world/meanwhile-in-america-september-22-intl/index.html
"Just remember, what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening," Donald Trump told supporters in 2018. On Monday, as the terrible milestone of 200,000 Covid-19 deaths loomed, the US President put his motto into action.
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
US death toll passes 200,000
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54244515
The US coronavirus death toll has passed 200,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
More than 6.8 million people are known to have been infected in the US, more than in any other country.
The milestone comes amid an increase in cases in a number of states, including North Dakota and Utah.
In March, President Donald Trump said if deaths were between 100,000 and 200,000, the country would have done a "very good job".